Impression
by Death Waltz
Summary: "Art is not only fleeting or just everlasting. Art is something that creates a lasting impression on a person." And before Sakura knew it, they started popping up in front of her everywhere, and not just Sasori and Deidara, but all of the Akatsuki!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"You are both idiots! Did you know that!" she said heatedly, infused with anger and hatred. "Art is not only something that is fleeting or everlasting. Art is passion and desire, it is feeling and emotion. It is fleeting in that even if it is a picture, you can't stare at it forever, you look away eventually. And it is everlasting in that the memory of it remains with you forever. Art is the impression that is left on a person. The impression, that is art. You two are a pathetic pair of artists if you've never realized that!" Sakura said with finality and with her finger pointed to the ground, brooking no room for argument.

The two artists stared at her wide-eyed and speechless. The larger one glaring at her with his ever-angry eyes while the blonde still sat on the makeshift stool he made of Gaara.

Art had never been a true passion of hers, but she knew how to appreciate it just the same. Her friend Ino worked in her parent's florist shop, the flower arrangements she did were nothing short of art in an experts eyes. And whenever she sparred against one of her friends, the movements, the intensity in their eyes and their determination to win, that was art to her. Especially for Tenten whose weapons gave her that extra deadly gleam that Sakura thought so beautiful.

Hearing the two narrow-minded self-proclaimed artists arguing about what is true art and whose art was better than whose, was sickening. Sakura couldn't stand it a moment longer. So, despite their criminal S-ranked statuses, she'd ousted them, declaring in unspoken words that they were phony.

Kakashi, Naruto and granny Chiyo stood quietly beside her, half horrified and half awed at her outburst. They were more worried about the two artists and their reactions.

With a "hn" the blonde one stood and withdrew a clay bird he'd been hiding in his sleeve.

"I don't know about you Sasori my man, but I'm going to have a little fun with these guys."

Sasori looked a Deidara with flaming eyes. "Deidara you fool!"

But the bird Deidara had crafted had already swelled to multiple times its initial size and he'd hopped onto it, flashing a grin. The bird scooped up the prone Gaara and began to swallow him.

"What are you doing to him! Give Gaara back!" Shouted Naruto, enraged.

"If you want him back, you'll have to follow me now won't you." Deidara smirked sinisterly as he soared out of the cavern and into open air. He cast one last look at the girl, contemplatingly.

Little did Sakura know, she had left one hell of an impression on Deidara. Her heated glare, her scathing words fueled by fury, it was like one huge explosion, just like art.

Deidara closed his eyes and smiled serenely. Just like his art.

His bird swerved and dived as he avoided a couple of shuriken flung at him by the ninetails host. The orange mass of energy had followed him, along with the copycat ninja. He smiled in excitement. He had other things to deal with now.

Hours latter.

"Wait for me master Zetsu!" called the annoying voice of Tobi.

It rang in his head annoyingly. He winced and remained motionless.

"**Shut up, or I'll kill you**. We can't remember. **I take orders from nobody**."

Ah, Zetsu was here and arguing with himself as usual.

Sasori groaned and shifted the weight off his body. He attempted to get up but fell back down. That had been the hardest battle he'd fought in his entire life, he deserved a long rest after this, as soon as he fixed this puppet body of his. Foolish granny Chiyo, thinking they'd done him in when they'd missed his heart entirely. If he'd really been stabbed in the heart he would have died at once, he wouldn't have been able to talk for as long as he did with that girl.

That girl was another matter entirely. Even now at the thought of her his heart sped up and a weird feeling swarmed through him, not physical, more emotional, he felt emotion.

Battling her had taken everything in him, if it wasn't so dire he'd have stopped and watched her in awe. Her movements were so fluid and the passion she showed while fighting it was superb. Her strength as she'd smashed every one of his prized puppets to smithereens was worthy of Deidara's view of art as fleeting. Her fire though, the fire in her that would never burn out…that was art. She was art. Sakura was art.

"It must be around here somewhere." Said the annoying voice. "Once I have the ring I'll be an Akatsuki too, won't I master Zetsu?"

Zetsu scanned the massacred terrain. Puppet bits were everywhere. One of the Sasori puppets had been skewered by two other puppets, and another was impaled against the wall. That one had the ring.

Tobi jumped forward and slipped the ring easily off. "I found it! Master Zetsu I found it! Now with this ring I'll finally be an Akatsuki." He made to slide the ring on his finger but fumbled when a threatening voice pierced the air.

"I believe that ring belongs to me." Sasori intoned darkly, freeing himself from his parent's deadly grasps. "I suggest you return it before I'm forced to do something sinister to you."

Tobi stuttered and backed away. "Ahhh! Master Zetsu, he's alive!"

Zetsu glanced darkly at him. "I can see that." He stood before Sasori, neither helping nor hindering him as he pulled out the blades from the fake heart. "You lost."

Sasori nodded hesitantly. "That girl, Sakura, she defeated me, along with granny Chiyo."

"This will be put in the bingo books. She'll be known as the first and only person to ever defeat the great Sasori of the red sand." Although his tone was not at all mocking, to Sasori it sounded like a jibe.

He ignored it in favor of stalking towards and trembling Tobi. He held out his hand and looked at him expectedly.

Tobi laughed nervously and yielded the ring to its original owner. Sasori accepted it and slipped it on his finger. He clenched his hand and then searched among the ruins for a cloak.

"But how did you survive? Those blades went right through your heart, you should be dead." Said Tobi, curiously.

Sasori scoffed. "It was a fake. A target I purposefully created in case anyone had caught on. My real heart is hidden elsewhere and that I shall not tell you."

Tobi held up his hands and nodded. "I won't ask, I won't ask. And if you did tell me, don't worry. I wouldn't even think of telling that girl where it is so she can kill you again-OUCH!"

Tobi rubbed his head furiously where Sasori had thrown the rock at him.

"Leader will be glad to have you back. We were worried for a while that Deidara had perished but it seems he did not. **That's too bad, I would have eaten him**. We are off to reunite with him."

"Deidara, the brat. So he still lives." Said Sasori.

Zetsu turned to leave. "Let's go then."

Yes, let's, thought Sasori, his mind in a tumult of information. He had to repair himself and gather some more puppets. If he were to rematch against Sakura he'd best be prepared, for the pink-haired ninja had left a huge impression on Sasori. He greatly looked forward to battling her again.

"Oh, and I thought I'd finally join the Akatsuki for real! Oh, it's not fair." In his frustration Tobi kicked out at a puppet head, although he missed and hit a rock instead. "Ow ow ow!" he bellowed in pain, hopping around on one foot. It was then he noticed the large gap between him and the two Akatsuki. "Hey! Sasori! Master Zetsu! Wait for me!"

* * *

Just an idea that came to me. For the parts that do follow the anime the dialogue may not be accurate, I basically wrote the basics of what happened from memory (while adding bits and pieces of my own), so please don't bother to point that out.

This is purely for my own amusement and the amusement of the readers. Flames and criticism are not welcome. I'm a fanfiction writer, not an author.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

He left Tobi and Zetsu to regroup with Deidara while Sasori headed back to headquarters to fix himself.

Not half a day back and Sasori had finished touching up on a few of his broken parts and was pacing in his room deep in thought. Many things clouded his mind, most importantly that girl. He valued art above all things, and although he wasn't too fond of Konoha sayings, Sakura's 'will of fire' amazed him. Even on the brink of death she'd not give in. So passionately had it burned as if nothing could douse it. Never would it flicker out. It was eternal.

He thought about what she said about impression. He paused in his pacing and stood biting his wooden thumb.

Had he…had he perhaps…left an impression on her? While they fought…did she think of him and his puppets as artistically as he thought of her.

The notion had his heart racing. It was pounding so hard he could hear it thrumming in his ears.

His moment was ruined as his door banged open to admit his blonde artistically-deluded counterpart.

"Sasori my man, my man, my man!" Deidara said loudly.

Sasori narrowed lazy eyes at him, restraining himself from tugging his puppets into action. "Deidara, I have told you time and time again, this is my room, my space. Clear out!"

"But but-" Deidara stuttered helplessly.

"Out!" ordered Sasori. "Out out out out out!" He began shoving Deidara through the door.

"But Sasori! I wanted to hear about the battle with Sakura. I saw the battleground. I wish I'd stayed to watch. What an explosion. The extraction chamber was all crumbled and in ruins. You just don't know what that does to me-"

"Now that is not in the least bit disturbing." Sasori shot sarcastically.

Sasori gave an audible sigh and relented. Leaning against the wall he crossed his arms and looked at the scavenged remains of the few puppets he'd managed to save, the pieces spread across his desk and hung around the walls.

"It was…inspiring. The entire time I couldn't help but think about what an amazing puppet she'd be-"

"You don't intend to turn her into one of your crap dolls are you!?" Deidara exclaimed horrified. "NO! I won't allow it! That's just the lowest of the low! I can't believe you Sasori!"

Sasori growled. "Shut up brat! I said I was thinking about it, not that I'd actually do it. Not anymore at least." He mumbled the next bit to himself. "Not to kill that fire." And then as an afterthought. "And they are not crap dolls. They are deadly puppets. Feared by pathetic little ingrates like you."

Deidara heaved in relief and stuck his tongue out at the senior. "Good. Now as you were saying, hn?" He waved his hand to continue on. "You haven't even breached the good part. Tell me about how she totaled the cave, the way she shattered the entrance. Now that was epic, hn."

Pinching the bridge of his nose he reminisced on the battle. "She managed to shatter Hiruko. Hiruko! He was an irreplaceable puppet of mine and all with one punch of her small fist."

Deidara looked enraptured like a child hearing his favorite story. "Wow! But can't you just rebuild him?"

Sasori shook his head. "Too many shards. And the chakra channels have been totally demolished, I can't replace them." He went on. "And then she ruined the third."

This time Deidara's mouth hung loose. "The third? You've got to be joking, hn."

"Believe you me, I wish I were." Said Sasori, chuckling. "Granny Chiyo may have been controlling her with her chakra strings, but all the power came from the girl. She evaded every weapon I pulled out for her."

He explained how she matched against his entire puppet collection all at once, and how she fought against the third kazekage's iron sand attack. And then-

Sasori easily tilted his head to the side to avoid a kunai. He seared his eyes at Deidara. "Was that entirely necessary?"

Deidara only fumed. "You stabbed her! Before I could show her my wondrous art, you stab her in the gut with a killing blow."

The redhead shrugged almost indifferently. "What was I supposed to do? It was in the spur of the moment. Do not fret. She's been healed."

The brat was really starting to irritate him with all these interruptions. Hah. Last time he was going to have any sort of lengthy chat with the idiot blonde.

Suddenly his eyebrow twitched. "Show her your art? Why would she want to see your abhorring artwork?"

Deidara merely smirked. "Why, to impress her of course. She views art as an impression. That leaves room for her to regard either of our arts as more superior than the other. She's made her impression on me, I figure I'd do the same to her."

He could sense the effects of their rivalry rising as the tension increased in the air between them. He could feel that spark of competition appear in his eyes the same as it appeared in Deidara's.

He smirked. "If you seek to impress her, I feel you lack the capabilities of forming such art that is to her tastes."

Deidara chuckled darkly. "Don't say that. Now you're starting to sound like Itachi, hn." He sneered. "And just you wait Sasori, once Sakura see's that my art outclasses yours we'll know for certain whose art is better."

"I suppose then brat, we shall see."

Already Sasori was concocting the most inspiring, the most beautiful form of art his masterful mind could come up with.

"This means that you're going to have to reveal that you're still alive you know." Stated Deidara.

Not everyone had to know. Thought Sasori. Just his recent muse.

* * *

Sakura felt shivers run down her spine, sending her a bad feeling in her gut as if she were about to be corrupted or something. Or it could just be the tenderness of her new wound that hadn't quite all the way healed yet. That Sasori really did her a bad one when he'd stabbed her. She was glad he was dead and gone.

She twisted in her bed, her sheets rumpling beneath her. For the past three days she's been trying to stave off the nightmares. Puppets really had a way of freaking her out. They invaded her dreams these past few nights, circling and attacking her and then came Sasori the freakiest puppet of them all, one that could control himself. It always ended with her being made into a puppet and fighting for Sasori.

She shivered and dug her head into her pillow. She wouldn't have to deal with puppets anytime soon. And as far as she was concerned she wasn't returning to sand for another ten years. Sorry Gaara, Temari and Kankuro. Unless they were willing to visit her in Konoha, there was no way she'd be seeing them soon.

Sasori had however provided invaluable information. The tenshi bridge, that was their ticket to Sasuke. A few days more and then they'd go after him and bring him home.

* * *

_I'll try to update weekly, although work and school might get in the way. Things are going to divert from the real storyline soon. More action in the next few chapters._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"I can't see them, hn!"

"Quiet, Deidara! Let's get a little closer, but careful, we don't want to be seen."

Deidara laughed and veered the soaring clay bird downwards, flying slowly and silently. Below them the tenshi bridge lay in ruins, and a massive crater formed an enormous hole a few meters off. Something truly wonderful had happened there.

Deidara smirked to himself, trying to imagine who it was that had delivered the blow to the landscape and decorated it so beautifully. It was just too bad that they hadn't arrived on time to see it.

"I can't sense any chakra in the area, hn. We may be too late."

Sasori rounded on him, snarling. "Deidara, you idiot! This is all your fault!"

"My fault?" Deidara shot back, looking affronted. "You mean your fault. If you weren't taking your precious time putting those puppets back together we wouldn't be in this predicament, hn."

"I can't travel weaponless. And it was you who took all day creating this clay atrocity." To emphasize, Sasori stamped a foot on the structure with enough force that the bird tilted alarmingly to the left.

"Hey stop that, hn." Deidara leveled them off. "Okay, calm down. They should be somewhere close by. If what you said about your suspicion that Kabuto would oust you today were true, then there'd have been a large fight, hn. Part of it happened back there, but I have a feeling that it wasn't finished. Their trying to find baby Uchiha, so I doubt they'd give up too soon."

"Your 'feelings' are generally in the wrong. However, your point is made. We'll search for now." Said Sasori.

Both men scanned the region below them looking for a certain pink head. It had been a whim that Deidara had proposed Sasori should keep his meeting with Kabuto at the bridge after Sasori had brought it up during one of their more…vicious chats. Intent to see their muse perform some art neither was hesitant on ditching the hideout that day.

To Sasori's ultimate displeasure they may have missed the event. A pity. He was greatly looking forward to seeing her aflame with passion. He'd never seen a will of fire quite as enchanting as hers.

"What's that, hn?"

Sasori directed his eyes to where Deidara was pointing. Soon a sinister smirk was overtaking his bottom face. What they were seeing was as explosion. The ground caved in and dust littered the air.

The bird circled towards the damaged site. Once they were close enough to the ground, the two artists jumped off and pressed themselves against the back of a large jutting rock. The clay bird disappeared with a 'poof', and Deidara snatched the miniature version out of the air and put it in his pocket to use for latter. Masking their chakra, they peeked over the edge of the rock. From their vantage point near the top, they had a perfect view of the scene displayed for them.

Sasuke was being confronted by his teammates. Among them, the fox demon, two ninja they weren't acquainted with, and their pink haired muse. The Konoha ninja were calling to Sasuke, pleading for him to return. Suddenly Sasuke disappeared and reappeared close to Naruto. What they said, the artists could not hear.

Deidara grinned madly, chuckling low to himself. "Looks tense, hn. It doesn't look like baby Uchiha wants to go with them. There's bound to be a fight."

Sasori reciprocated his partners building excitement. "Yes. Then we know Sakura will join in."

They waited, all the while their anticipation was rising. First it was the jinchuriki, then the pale dark haired boy, and then…

"What!" shouted Deidara, not even trying to hold back his fury.

Sasori felt his breath leave in a great gasp, his face a mirror of enraged disappointment.

"Calm down, Deidara."

Deidara spluttered, hardly able to vocalize his frustration. "Why that-! That sexist freak-eyed imbecile! Why'd he have to get in the way like that, didn't he think that Sakura could hold her own! She was about to get serious and he had to spoil it for us…and her. You don't know how demoralizing that is for a woman, hn. Pfffft. What? He thinks that he can do better? I'd like to see him even try to make better art than Sakura."

In the rubble the five figures had become alert. The konoha ninja were attempting to look around while still keeping Sasuke in sight. Sasuke, however, searched in a more subtle manner, using his peripheral vision.

"That's it, yeah! I'm going in."

"Deidara." Sasori hissed warningly, although equally upset. This went unheeded as the blonde stealthily snuck towards the chasm. Sasori grit his teeth and followed.

* * *

Sakura decided that whatever they'd heard could be ignored for now. Her attention focused back on Yamato who had bravely taken the blunt of Sasuke's sword for her. Sasuke pulled it out and Yamato hissed in pain, clutching his shoulder.

Naruto gazed at Sasuke as if seeing a stranger while Sakura bit her bottom lip trying to hold back the frustration she felt towards her former teammate. Why couldn't he see that he was wrong? Why couldn't he see that he was being manipulated by his vengeance? All that hate that he'd compiled for his brother was influencing him to make foolish choices all in the name of power.

What an idiot her Sasuke was.

"Sasuke please, come back with us." She said in anguish. He could get strong in Konoha, he didn't have to sacrifice his body to a snake just to gain power.

Naruto let loose a growl then stepped forward. "Sasuke! I don't care if you're against us! We're taking you back to Konoha whether you like it or not!"

Sasuke merely looked at him unmoved. He swung his katana behind him, preparing to charge at Naruto.

"Sakura, stay back!" Yamato called as he held his arm in front of her.

Sakura trembled as she watched two of her precious people going in to attack each other. What was the point? What was the point of all that training if Sasuke was still too strong for them? The only way to get him back would be to defeat him. And Sakura couldn't do it.

"Incoming, yeah!"

Sasuke and Naruto suddenly pulled up as something came falling to the spot between them. They both leaped back, as the thing exploded and added to their momentum. Naruto stumbled, shielding his face with his arm and coughing. Sasuke landed at the lip of the chasm, his gaze laying to the right at the two people who had suddenly made an appearance.

"What was that? It was just like-" Naruto started, rubbing his head. He noticed the duo above them and jabbed a finger at them. "You, the mad bomber Deidara!"

Sasori and Deidara loomed over the opening, Deidara with a wide grin while Sasori depicted the utmost boredom. Deidara put one foot on a rock then slung his arm over his knee, leaning over to peer at them.

"Well well, look who we have here, hn. The jinchuuriki, the brat Uchiha, and…" He inclined his head at Sakura and gave her a devilish smirk. "Sakura." He said her name with a caress, much more reverently than how he'd addressed the other two.

Naruto fumed. "Hey, why do you call her by her name and we get the insults!"

Deidara tch. "Obviously, she is your better, she deserves to be shown more respect then you two insects. Hn."

Naruto started shouting in protest. Sasuke, on the other hand, sent him a seething glare. Sakura would have blushed but she was too busy staring in mute horror at the figure standing next to Deidara. The red head gazed at his little artistic muse and smirked.

"Since he didn't once mention us, what are we then?" asked Sai.

He went ignored as Naruto pulled himself together. "Argh! Enough, we didn't come for you today. We're here for Sasuke. So you two get lost, I give you a free pass. I don't have the time right now."

Sasuke's eyes flickered to red as he glared. "Akatsuki."

"Oh, that's right. You're looking for your brother, aren't you baby Uchiha." Deidara sneered, to which Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Well we don't know where he is, hn. We rarely ever meet up in person, so you're guess is as good as mine."

"This is interesting and all, but my patience wears thin." Muttered Sasori darkly. "We came to watch Sakura do battle, not to hold conversation with these pests."

Eyes immediately swiveled to Sakura who was too astonished to notice them.

"You. Sasori of the red sand. I watched you die-I helped to kill you!" she said bewildered.

A cool breeze blew through the area, catching the akatsuki's cloaks and sweeping Deidara's hair. Sasori lifted his chin.

"You're Sasori of the red sand!" exclaimed Naruto.

"So that is his true appearance." Murmured Yamato.

"Indeed."

Sasuke, who had been mildly shocked when he'd heard that the great Sasori had been killed, was not too shocked upon finding him alive and well. Especially when considering the rumors about who had done him in.

"It appears as if you failed, Sakura." Said Sasuke smoothly. "Pathetic."

Deidara was immediate to lash at him. "She defeated him, yeah! I wouldn't call that pathetic. Rather, what's pathetic is your little hunt for big brother."

"Deidara, quiet." Sasori muttered then trained his eyes to the bridge of Sasuke's nose, now that he had the sharingan on. "You want to know where your brother is?"

"Sasori!" Deidara hissed.

But before Sasori could give any information away Orochimaru and Kabuto manifested from a swirling gust of wind. They stood beside Sasuke, at a facedown with the two akatsuki and the four konoha ninjas.

Orochimaru chuckled eerily. "Well now. What a surprise this is."

"Lord Orochimaru, we should be going." Prompted Kabuto.

Sasuke suddenly swept the kusanagi in an arc, aiming it at the akatsuki while falling into a fighting stance. "No! We're not going anywhere. Not until he tells me where to find Itachi."

Deidara laughed loudly as Sasori chuckled. "Hmm, let's be off, Deidara. Nothing more is happening here."

The blonde withdrew the clay bird and threw it up into the air. It swelled and became a massive version of itself as the akatsuki hopped onto it. Sasuke jerked forward to stop them but they rose into the air. Deidara sent a last wink at Sakura.

"See you later, Sakura! We'll have plenty of time to make some art then, hn."

They became smaller the further away they flew. Sakura watched, her teeth clenched and her mind in confusion. Make art? The hell? Did they come just for that?

"No, Sasuke!"

"They were bluffing, Deidara's right. They wouldn't know where your brother is."

Orochimaru was restraining Sasuke as he prepared to let the curse mark overtake him. Sasuke reluctantly suppressed it then jerked away.

"Fine." He said monotonously.

Orochimaru sneered. He turned to the konoha ninjas. "Sorry we can't stay for tea. But we have more pressing engagements. Until the next we meet, Naruto, Sakura, Yamato, and Sai."

They disappeared in a swirling wind. Yamato and Sai exchanged bewildered glances while Sakura and Naruto portrayed more frustration.

"Dammit! We didn't get him." Hissed Naruto, looking for something to punch.

"What was all that about?" said Sakura, to herself.

Yamato, still pressing a hand to his injured shoulder, took the lead and jumped out of the chasm. "We should get going now. We have to report to the Godaime."

The rest of them jumped out of the rubble. Sakura healed Yamato's shoulder then they all took off towards home.

While running, Sakura's thoughts swayed more towards the two artists than her former teammate. How did Sasori survive? Why'd they come after them but not actually get involved in any fighting? What did they want?

She sighed and picked up speed. They were psychopathic killers. One never knew how their minds functioned.

* * *

_Schools a bother. Anyway, just a reminder, the small parts that are meant to be similar to the anime are not exactly the same. I haven't seen the anime in quite a while, this is all based on vague memory. _

_Also, for deideiblueeyez, I appreciate your view on art, but I must argue, I don't believe that you have to dabble into all aspects of art to be a true artist. I believe that if you want to stick with only one, for example painting, you can be considered a true artist even if you don't do any other forms of art. Not all artists are like DeVinci (Those would be some large shoes to fill). But, I also believe that you must be able to appreciate other people's art, to be able to criticize and find meaning in it. Art is emotion. But yeah, Deidara and Sasori are narrow-minded that way. ;)  
_

_I thank everyone for the reviews. I especially enjoy reading everyone's personal opinion of art.  
_

_DWaltz  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"So…the akatsuki made an appearance," Tsunade muttered lowly to herself, her eyes taking a thoughtful hue. "And this time their focus seems to be on Sakura. But they didn't specify exactly what they were after?"

Yamato shook his head. "It looked that they were just there for a show, where I'm guessing, Sakura was the star. They left pretty quickly afterwards."

Tsunade sighed and rubbed her temples. She then looked at Sakura. "This puts you in a very precarious position. Without knowing their true intentions we don't know how to counter them. This could all be some sort of trick to let our guards down. They may be after Naruto."

"But milady, Naruto is Itachi's target," said Sakura, appalled at the idea that the akatsuki could be using her to get to him.

"As long as they leave Sakura out of it, they can come after me all they want, but they'll never catch me, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed.

Yamato and Sai shared blank looks with each other, while Sakura narrowed her eyes in annoyance. Tsunade felt a vein throbbing on her forehead.

"It's that kind of cockiness that will get you captured. From now on we have to act cautiously. Naruto, seeing how the akatsuki is once again on the move, you're to stay in the village. C and D ranked missions only."

Naruto's eyes bulged in disbelief. "Wha-! But but, granny Tsunade!"

"And that's my final word! It's not just your life on the line, Naruto. Think of the village, think of all the innocent people we protect. If you get caught we are all doomed. And think about Sakura. You being around her is putting her at risk. I think it's best you worked in separate teams for a while," said Tsunade. "And don't give me any smart remarks about it. Your want to be included in all these missions is nothing short of selfishness. I cannot abide by it any longer. You will remain here!"

Naruto clenched his fists and shook angrily, but overall stayed silent. He couldn't argue with that. He wouldn't risk the village or Sakura that way. As much as he despised the idea, he would obey granny Tsunade, at least for now.

Yamato eased his stance and let his hands drop, but still remained alert in case he needed to subdue Naruto.

Tsunade glanced at all of them, then flitted her attention once again to Sakura.

Sakura jolted at the hard gaze Tsunade sent her and half feared something being thrown her way.

"As for you. You don't honestly believe that after besting an S-ranked criminal, and an akatsuki no less, that I'd not reward you in some way."

Sakura felt her breathing hitch. "M-milady?"

Tsunade smirked devilishly in satisfaction. "No. I promote you to jounin and will assign you to a new team, preferably with anbu. That way you will have the mask and cloak to cover up, and I doubt the akatsuki will think to look for you there."

Sakura gaped, shocked and speechless. She could practically see the pride swelling from Tsunade for her student's success. Naruto practically smothered her to death as he enfolded her in his arms.

"Wow Sakura! Jounin. And I'm not even chuunin!" he cheered happily.

Sakura managed to push them apart enough so that she could breathe. "Well, I'm not the one who's going to become hokage someday."

Naruto smiled brightly. "Awww, Sakura you flatter me."

"Is this sickening display some show of love?" asked Sai, smiling at them eerily. "I read that lovers will often embrace or show other forms of affection-"

He was cut off as Sakura dealt him a hard blow to the head.  
"We are not lovers, you moron!"

Meanwhile Naruto stood at a distance, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck while giggling to himself.

"Sakura, you shall meet your new teammates tomorrow at training ground 11. You're all dismissed." Said Tsunade in an irritated tone.

Sakura and Naruto shared dark looks with one another. Sakura had been on many other teams before while Naruto was away, but always while he was here she'd been with him. They suddenly grew quiet as they walked down the hall and left the hokage's building behind. Sakura felt a growing feeling of apprehensiveness for this new team. Unlike the others they'd be a rank ahead of her, professionals. She hoped that unlike with her time as Sasuke's and Naruto's teammate that she wouldn't pull them down with her.

* * *

She arrived prompt at training ground 11 the next morning. A brief glance around showed her that the training ground was clear her teammates hadn't shown up yet. Not one to waste time, Sakura immediately set about stretching then practiced launching kunai at a tree.

She was so engrossed in her training and if she had been paying a bit more attention to her surroundings she would have noticed the heaviness in the air and the silent slip of a presence landing on a nearby tree. However, she was aware. She was hyperaware, rather, of everything around her. So it was no surprise when she bent over backwards to easily dodge the fuuma shuriken that was aimed at her.

She quickly looked over her shoulder, the current kunai in her hand poised to defend when another attack came from the right. She shifted her head an inch then caught the kunai by the circle and threw it back. Then it seemed as if she was being attacked at all fronts by shuriken, senbon, kunai, and even a few throwing axes.

She was immersed in a dance of dodging, deflecting, catching and throwing as they kept coming at her. Suddenly a heat bloomed on her back. Hastily, she threw herself to the side as a scorching wolf made completely out of flames bounded over her. It turned around and charged her again, and again she was forced to jump away to avoid it. It kept coming at her, it's flaming jaws gaping, its bark sounding like the cackling of a sizzling log. During this there was a short pause where the weapon throwing stopped, but at once it started back up again. Sakura found it difficult to counter the weapons and the fire wolf both at the same time.

The wolf feinted one way, throwing Sakura off guard, then it pounced. Kunai were closing in and with the wolf coming directly at her she wouldn't be able to dodge this time. It caught her and she fell to the ground screaming, smothered by the wolf's fire.

Two men jumped out of the trees. It was evident now that they'd orchestrated the entire trap, however it was too late for Sakura to realize this.

One of the men, tall with dark hair combed straight back and with his anbu mask tied at the waist looked at the scene with narrowed brown eyes. Sakura hadn't been hit, but was trapped beneath the form of the wolf, her clothes and skin close enough to feel its heat but not too close as to be significantly damaged.

The second man sported dark blue hair that fell down to his waist and was tied at his nape with a thong. In his eyes was disappointment as well as curiosity.

The dark haired man strode towards her, his one hand resting on his hip, the other fidgeting from having thrown so many weapons at her. It was him who controlled the fire wolf and only by his word would it release Sakura.

He loomed over both wolf and girl and gazed down with displeasure. "Well, that was a disappointment. You have managed to evade our attacks, which is good. We don't need our mednin getting injured. But if you cannot last more than twenty minutes you are not fit to be positioned on this squad."

The other man went in to placate him. "Easy there Koukan. She's the hokage's apprentice after all, and I heard she took down one of the akatsuki."

"She failed to kill him, Saito." Hissed Koukan in annoyance.

"Yes, however she just became jounin she needs a bit more practice. After training with us for a while I'm sure she'll become up to par in no time." Said Saito firmly.

Koukan looked down at the desperate face of Sakura trying not to move while beneath the wolf. He sneered.

"You think that that will ever be on par with us? Lady Hokage must have been mistaken to ever believe this one was up for jounin, and to be put on an anbu squad."

There was no such thing as a jounin exam, or an anbu exam. The chuunin exam was made so that the exceptional genin could be distinguished from the ones that were not quite at a high enough level and still needed to work on their abilities. When they became chuunin they were then given higher ranked missions in order to prove themselves and be promoted to jounin. It could take one major mission that seriously impressed the higher authorities (as with Sakura's case) or a number of less dangerous missions or a combination of both. And then when they take even higher ranked missions they would be able to prove their worth to become anbu.

Koukan believe Sakura's success to be a fluke, or to be merited entirely to Lady Chiyo whom he heard had played a major role in Sasori's defeat. That this Sakura, his new teammate, a mere jounin would be aiding him and Saito on extremely dangerous and sometimes near suicidal missions stroked his fury. He didn't need a pink haired brat to jeopardize their lives. He and Saito had been a great two man team and completed 12 S-ranked missions and near a hundred A-ranked ones all without fail. This girl threatened to ruin their record, however under the Hokage's orders he could do naught about it.

The fire wolf snarled and growled at the shivering Sakura. Koukan glared down at her quivering form.

"Well girl. Have you nothing to say. Saito defends you honorably, yet you show no appreciation to his deed."

Sakura's eyes were wide as she stared up at her new teammates. Suddenly, her quivering subsided and her face took on a determined expression. "I don't need anyone standing up for me, although thanks anyways."

Koukan sneered. "You are incompetent. You will weigh this team down and I will not allow it. From this day forward training will be your hell. The only way you will sleep is if you pass out and the only time you will eat is when you have accomplished each task we order you. Are you prepared for this, apprentice of the slug princess?"

Sakura's eyes had grown wider with each word, but at the end something unexpected happened. A fire burned in her eyes, the likes which Koukan and Saito had seen only in a very few Konoha ninja and often in the Sandaime Hokage before he died. She smirked a grin akin to one with sinister intentions.

Koukan frowned at her, his veins burning with rage. What had she to smirk about?

However that was instantly revealed to him when suddenly a fist hit him from behind. He flew forward in the air but managed to somehow catch himself and he somehow landed on his feet skidding deep furrows into the terrain. He clutched his side and felt it swelling. He winced in pain. His ribs had definitely been broken.

He stared wide-eyed at Sakura, standing unharmed and at full stamina next to a shocked Saito. He stared at where he last saw her beneath his fire wolf just as the clone poofed away. It had never been her! He had been tricked, but how? He was not so gullible as to easily be fooled by a clone, so how did she manage it.

His wolf dissipated as his concentration was lost and all that was left was a patch of scorched grass from where each paw stood.

Sakura saw his questioning eyes and delved into explanation. It wouldn't hurt for her team to know a few things about her. It would be a necessity to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses if they were to work with each other.

"If you weren't so stuck up about yourself then you would have taken the time to actually read my profile thoroughly instead of skimming over it. If you had done that you would have known that chakra control is my specialty. Although I can't create as many clones as Naruto, I can easily conduct a similar amount of chakra to the few I can make to make it equal to the chakra my normal body possesses. By doing that you would have no clue which one was the real deal. This whole time you were attacking my clone while I suppressed my chakra and hid away to watch. I knew something like this might happen the moment I arrived at the training grounds. Unless there is a mission, or unless you're Kakashi, anbu usually start training very early in the morning. You however made me wait."

"Damn, she got you there, captain," said Saito cheerfully from the sidelines.

Koukan merely frowned in annoyance. Sakura was looking at him just a bit too smugly for his liking. It made his furious.

"As for your question…" She trailed off and again he saw that fire burning in her eyes. "Do your worst."

* * *

Ever since the event with Sasuke two weeks ago, Sasori had been…dissatisfied. He hadn't been able to see Sakura perform her art. The fire in her eyes had been dulled by despair because of that infuriating Uchiha.

But he had an idea. As much as he loved to see her become a living form of art, her view of art was intriguing. Perhaps it was time to convince her to see things his way. He'd shown her his art already. His entire puppet collection had been on display for her during their battle. Had she been impressed? Had her heart become warm with the sight of so much beauty in one place just as his did?

It was time to show her something eternal. He would die before she was influenced by that brat's 'art is fleeting' motto.

But to do so, first there was something that needed to be done.

"Yes, Deidara. Leader ordered it so." Sasori said monotonously to his partner as they traveled down the worn path.

They had just finished a mission in cloud and were now traveling through 'no man's land', one of the nations which harbored no shinobi village.

Deidara groaned. "So soon? I barely had time to rest, and I need a shower. And how come you're not coming, hn?"

Sasori gave him the most bored glance he could muster. "Leader has an urgent assignment that is necessary for my skills. It is not my fault that our separate missions coincide with one another."

"It would be much easier if we did them both together."  
"The time frame won't allow for it. At the next village we part ways, but only for a short while. There are some ruins of an old temple a day away if you follow the river north. We shall reunite there as soon as our missions are complete and wait for the other." Said Sasori.

Deidara scoffed. "Yeah yeah. I know where it is, you don't have to tell me, hn. This is going to be a bother, hn."

Sasori didn't feel an ounce of guilt that he lied about there being two missions and that he was really leaving Deidara to complete their assigned mission alone leaving Sasori at least 3 days to do as he desired without interference from the blonde. It was a simple mission, Deidara would have no trouble with it. He would see his plan come to fruition.

Deidara you gullible fool, Sasori thought gleefully.

* * *

_Sorry, I've been studying for exams so there's less time for me to write (It took me two weeks to write all this!). I appreciate all the reviews though, and it makes me feel happy that I've gotten more hits. _

_I took a break for a day while I was sick to read fanfictions. A real issue I have is that people always make jokes about Deidara looking like a girl, just because he has long hair. If you've seen the anime or read the manga then you know for a fact that he's not at all like a girl, he does a little strip tease for us as proof ^^. Also, Itachi, Neji, Jiraiya, etc, all have long hair, yet the joke seems mainly to be for Deidara. And I don't know how many of you know this but long hair for men used to be a sign of nobility, while short hair was for the common class workers. That just makes Deidara more appealing I'd think. I'm just tired of all these stereotypes that people fall for. It's a bit overused. There's more stereotypes about other characters but I won't get into that here. _

_I'm just a bit annoyed is all. Sometimes I find it okay if it really flows with the story (however unlikely that happens) but most of the times I just see it as people trying to make their fic funny.  
_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

At the moment, Sakura was just finishing gathering her equipment as she prepared for a reasonably simple mission to grass. She fastened on her anbu commissioned medic pouch, checked that her hood concealed all her hair in the mirror then bent to retrieve the final feature on her nightstand.

She sighed fondly at it as she brushed a calloused finger across the cheek of her mask. Having the mask made her feel like a full anbu and not simply a jounin placed on an anbu team.

She fastened the mask to her face then left through the window to find her team. She grimaced at the thought of going on her first mission with them. Koukan and Saito had continuously tested her and worn her down with training throughout the previous weeks. She bore with it, their regime was nothing compared to training with the Godaime.

It was early morning by the time she reached the gates where her two team members were waiting. She could practically feel Koukan scowling at her from behind his mask. Sakura jut her chin out. It wasn't like she did anything wrong. The problem he had with her it seemed was her rank. He didn't want her to become a liability to their team.

He said nothing as she approached. Merely inclined his head and shot out of the village rushing into the trees. Saito followed next with Sakura close behind.

The pace Koukan set was bordering on Gai level and after two hours of tree hopping Sakura could feel her muscles straining and her breaths coming out quickly. Koukan neither looked back to see how she was doing or slowed down. Rather, he increased the pace. Saito easily caught up, most probably used to it. Sakura pushed herself but could see the gap between her and her team was getting larger. The vein on her forehead pulsed in irritation. She had a feeling this mission was going to be abysmal.

They arrived at a village in the land of grass. Sakura was shaking on her legs and even Saito seemed affected by the strenuous pace. Koukan was more subtle in his exhaustion. He stood with a stiff posture and walked with a tense gait. He quickly paid for a room at the inn and led the way up the stairs.

The room contained three tatami mats and little else. Koukan immediately grabbed a towel and headed towards the shower without even sparing them a glance. The door shut firmly on his way out, and Sakura winced as it cut the silence.

Sakura removed her mask and plopped down on the floor. She didn't want to touch her bed the way she smelled right now. Groaning she peeled off her boots and observed the numerous growing blisters on her feet. At once she healed them. She wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

Saito sat down next to her, leaning against the wall, his long blue hair spreading over the wooden floorboards like a coiling snake. He smiled at her. "You know, it's not you personally. Koukan is a finicky person to begin with."

"Oh?" Sakura raised her eyebrow. "And here I thought he was a natural jerk."

Saito laughed. "Well, that too. But the reason he's so hard on you is because he's so human. He hates change. You being here on our team shifts our dynamics, it opens and closes new possibilities that he as captain has to deal with. He's just not used to you. After a while he won't be so antagonistic towards you, especially now that we're all working together."

"I'll take your word for it," she muttered in reply. Having finished healing her feet she began rubbing her calves, focusing soothing chakra into them to loosen them up.

Saito was eyeing her curiously, shifting as he sat. "That is…medical chakra?"

Sakura sent a sidelong glance at him. "Yes." She said blandly as if it were obvious. She then realized the hidden question he was asking. "Would you like me to rub your feet?"

Saito nodded in relief. "It would be most appreciated."

He removed his toeless boots and revealed his feet slightly swelling with blisters, most of them had popped on the run.

"I take it this does not usually happen?" She asked, beginning to send out chakra as she rubbed one of his feet.

Saito practically groaned in relief as the pain disappeared. "No. We usually go slower. Koukan was just anxious today."

"Because of me." She stated.

As she finished she sat back on her legs. Saito smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you. It would have been unpleasant were I to run again tomorrow."

"It was no problem. I'm the medic, remember. I'm supposed to look after my team and keep them in fighting form. You never know when you're going to be attacked." She then pushed him forward. "You look tense. Lie down, I'll give you a massage."

Saito was beaming as he willingly removed his shirt and placed his front on the floor. "Don't ever leave, Sakura. Out of all the medics we've been on missions with none would even think of just handing out massages."

Sakura smiled at this and set to work pushing her fingers into his shoulders releasing chakra as she did. She was working out the tension in Saito's lower back when Koukan walked back into the room. He paused then glared at her scornfully, throwing his towel on a stool, he stormed out of the room presumably to get something to eat. It seemed he'd chosen to give her the silent treatment. He'd said barely a word to her since the mission had started.

Saito had been nearly put to sleep from the heaven he was experiencing, but cracked one eye open at Koukan's display. He smiled in amusement and shrugged Sakura off him.

"You go first. I'll try to cool him down."

Sakura nodded. "Right." She gathered her things to take a shower.

Maybe if she'd just stayed a chuunin then she wouldn't be causing so much discourse on her team. It wasn't her problem though. Ninja were taught to adapt and to survive. If Saito was right then Koukan would eventually change his mind about her. Or she could be one of those people a person could hate forever. How bothersome…

* * *

Their mission took no longer than a day. Get in, kill the target and get out. For Sakura it was more of a wait for Koukan and Saito to do their job and heal them when they got out. There was just enough time to fix them up and leave the manor's grounds before the alarm went off and guards started pouring out of the building.

Now on their way home to Konoha they'd easily lost their pursuers by zigzagging along and sending clones out to lead them astray. They were leaping at a more manageable pace now that the post-mission satisfaction was setting in, and were an hour or so away from the border.

Even though he still wasn't speaking to her, Koukan was no longer sending her scathing looks every so often, too intent on getting home.

But just as they were crossing the bridge to a gorge…

"Stop." Koukan hissed, crouching in his tree and staring out of the eyes of his raven mask.

Saito and Sakura at once lowered themselves and hid in the branches. Sakura felt the unease around them as a dark aura brushed against theirs. Someone was standing on the bridge, seemingly waiting for something.

Or someone, Sakura guessed as she suddenly recognized the malicious aura in horror. Although it bore no killing intent at the moment, she still knew it to be immensely dangerous.

"Captain, we need to get away. I know who that is. It's Sasori of the red sand." She hissed through her teeth.

Koukan tilted his head to her but she could not read his expression through the mask. At the mention of the Akatsuki's name though he grew interested.

"Sasori, eh?" he murmured. And suddenly he was no longer in the tree, having jumped down to stand at the end of the bridge.

"Captain, No." Saito hissed out, but leapt after him.

Sakura had no choice but to follow and hope that death was not what awaited them.

Sasori stood on the middle of the bridge, staring out over the gorge. Koukan faced him, taking on a fighting stance.

"Sasori of the red sand." He stated, his hand fisting around the handle of his tanto.

Sasori peered at him boredly as if looking down at a child. "A random Konoha anbu. I have no use for you. Leave now and do not disturb me."

Saito cautiously called out to his captain. "Raven, it is not safe. Our orders are not to confront the akatsuki if we run into them. The Hokage would want us to return to Konoha."

"Sasori of the akatsuki all alone without any backup, this is too good a chance to pass up Ferret. With one less akatsuki to worry about we could save the village a lot of trouble. If we both take him on we could get rid of him for good."

He sent a conspicuous glance at Sakura, which immediately made her pulse hammer as she grit her teeth in irritation behind her falcon mask. He thought her incompetent.

Faced with Sasori, Sakura tried not to make herself noticeable as she kept behind her two teammates. But it seemed she had his attention all the same. His eyes, once glossing briefly over the other two centered solely on her as he let loose a languid smile.

"You know how I hate to be kept waiting, and yet you made me wait all the same," he said smoothly, his lips curling upwards. "Sleep."

A harsh gale started up. Billowing around them and lashing at their cloaks. Sakura ducked her head and closed her eyes as dust and dirt flew through the air. She tried to jump away but it was as if the wind had her rooted to the spot, deflecting any chance at escape. Koukan and Saito were faring no better than her. Saito's hair flew around him wildly as he started coughing. Sakura suddenly found it hard to inhale and exhale. Then she saw, there was poison gas in the wind.

She could no more call out to her teammates than help herself. Soon darkness found her.

* * *

She woke to the feeling of a warm breeze brushing over her face and the heat of the sun. And that…

She screeched at the sight of Sasori hovering over her, his face close up and smirking as he twirled a tendril of her pink hair around his finger. Quickly she backed away, noticing at once the lack of her mask and that the hood of her cloak had been pulled down.

Sasori sat up and made no move to approach her.

Anticipating for any sudden attack, she asked hesitantly. "How did you know it was me?"

Sasori smirked. "I have…sources."

He didn't elaborate, but Sakura knew he was referring to one of his many spies hidden practically everywhere.

So much for concealment. It was for this reason that Sakura had been placed on an anbu team but it seemed that the effort was wasted.

Sakura also acknowledged her freedom of movement. He hadn't bothered tying her up, although with his chakra strings he didn't need to. He could easily catch her and rope her up in a flash.

"Where are we? Why am I here?"

Sasori's eyes glittered. "Do you want to see some art?"

For a moment Sakura lost her sense of speech. Was he mad? "What, you went through all that trouble, wasted your precious time to show me some art?"

"I knew you'd have an appreciation for it," he replied evenly.

Sakura was no longer worried. She was fuming with anger. "Hello! Does me being a konoha shinobi and you being akatsuki mean anything to you!?"

Sasori scoffed. "It is of little consequence. When leader doesn't have anything assigned to us we may pursue our own ambitions all we want. Work and personal interest do not mix in our line of work."

"What, does it say so in your contract or something?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"Now that you mention it, a written contract would be a wise implementation. Now come, I want to show you something."

"Oh for the love of-" Sakura hissed. "Fine." She got up, a bit wobbly on her feet. Sasori however, caught her arm and she was too disoriented to push him away. He guided her through the sparse trees as they continued towards a destination that Sakura was clueless about.

"My team…are they alright?" She asked trying to ignore the dizziness she felt from walking.

"They inhaled a larger concentration of the fumes than you, however it was a simple sleeping gas. They should awaken in six more hours. Plenty of time for us to enjoy each other's company," said Sasori.

Sakura didn't want to even ask what 'enjoying each other's company' entailed. She'd humor him by looking at his bloody art then hightail it in the other direction.

"So…where's Deidara?" Sakura asked, then winced as Sasori chuckled darkly, giving an evil smile.

"I've taken care of him," he said silkily.

Sakura shivered. She blinked as they left the treeline and encroached on a Cliffside overlooking a field of large rock formations. So they were in earth country.

Sasori stopped and took on an expression of contentment, viewing the scenery fondly. "Isn't it beautiful, Sakura?"

Sasori helped her sit on the grass and sat cross-legged next to her. Sakura was grateful for this because she no longer felt as dizzy. She followed his gaze to the landscape.

"Isn't what beautiful?"

"The rock towers," Sasori said caressingly. "For ages the winds have been singing through these stones, smoothing them and shaping them into something formidable, something so beautiful. They stand against storm and rain, never yielding. These are eternal, while everyone else dies these magnificent natural structures shall last forever."

Sakura looked at the towers with a more searching gaze. She supposed they were pretty. They were inlaid with quartz so the light shone brilliantly off the smooth surfaces. The towers rose, forming different shapes and swirls, some even had holes in them and the wind seemed to howl as it whispered through them.

Sakura barely noticed the soft smile that set on her lips as she gazed at the structures with lit eyes. It was indeed beautiful.

"I knew your value of art would help you see the true riches in everlasting beauty."

Sakura leaned forward, her knees tucked in to her side. "It is beautiful."

Sasori had been watching her. His lazy eyes became more serene as she agreed with him. He reached to touch her hair, gliding his wooden hand down it.

It was then that Sakura remembered exactly whom she was in the presence of.

"Woah, hold on there," she snatched his hand away.

Sasori acquiesced and withdrew. "You forget, Sakura. This is my personal time. Right now we are not enemies." He drawled, smiling.

"We're not friends either. So you stay over there and I'll stay over here. No touching."

Sasori chuckled. "Whatever you say."

Sasori went back to marveling the stone towers, while Sakura had her fill of looking and lay back on the grass, enjoying the sun. She hadn't had a moment to herself since she'd joined Koukan's team, and she wasn't going to complain now that she could relax. Even if it was in the midst of enemy territory with an S-class missing nin.

Her peace didn't last very long. A whistling sound split the air, followed by a huge crash and an enormous explosion. Sakura shot up, falling into a battle stance.

"Up here, yeah!"

Deidara was standing on a clay bird, grinning and waving at them madly.

_Oh great_. Sakura thought glumly. Now she had to deal with two S-class criminals. Joy…

Deidara swooped down and jumped off the bird. The clay bird landed a few yards away, waiting to be made useful again.

"Sakura, did you see that! What an explosion. It was breathtaking, simply breathtaking." Deidara more or less sang as he threw an arm over her shoulders and pointed at the cloud of smoke before them.

As the smoke cleared Sakura was met with a mass of devastation. That was the only way to describe it. The stone towers which had glittered with their quartz and which the wind had taken eons upon eons to shape and form, lay as one huge pile of rubble. From that one explosion nothing was left standing.

Sakura peered cautiously over at Sasori and almost burst out laughing. Sasori's normally half-lidded eyes were wide from shock, his muscles had gone limp and it looked like he was about to collapse into tears. She saw as his jaw fell in a delayed reaction.

Deidara seemed not to notice as he grinned broadly. "That was fun. Next time Sakura you should join me on my bird. The view from the sky is better, hn."

Sasori had come back to consciousness and was fisting his hands at his sides, his shoulders shaking.

"Deidara…you fool!" He spun around swiftly, his eyes raging. He was practically spitting fire.

Sakura instinctively took a step back along with Deidara who dashed behind her to hide. Sasori stomped over and then began a game of keep away where Deidara tried to keep Sakura in between them.

"Sa-Sasori my man, why are you so mad at me, what did I do!?" Deidara whined.

Deidara jumped back with Sakura in his hold as Sasori made a swipe at him.

"Hey, have some consideration for the person you're using as a shield please!" Sakura huffed indignantly.

Deidara laughed and pat her on the head. "Sorry, hn. Hey!"

Suddenly Sakura was yanked from his hold with chakra strings and plummeted into the arms of Sasori. Embracing her to him with one arm, Sasori pointed his other at the blonde opening his palm where resided his flamethrower.

"I thought I said no touching," muttered Sakura, as Sasori squeezed her to him tighter.

"What did you do?" Sasori repeated sinisterly. "You just destroyed a lifetimes' creation of natural art. You blew it up with no thought but for your own amusement!"

Deidara took in the ruined structures and smirked. "Looks better, hn."

"Why you!" Sasori seethed.

"And what was that, hn?" Deidara shot. "Leaving me to deal with that mission alone. I'm not stupid, yeah. Leader doesn't like us separating, he always keeps us in pairs so there's a less likelihood of casualties. I finished the mission as quickly as I could so I could figure out what you were up to. I should have expected something like this, hn."

"Next time I'll expect being kidnapped too." Sakura murmured.

Sasori smirked at her then placed her down gently. "This will only be a moment. Then we can return you to that pathetic team of yours so they won't be suspicious." He then faced Deidara, both falling into their stances.

Sakura leapt to the sidelines, prepared to watch the puppet master and mad bomber engage in a spar. If she hadn't been infused with the sleeping gas she might have thought to run away, but then she wasn't certain about the direction her team was in and Sasori had said he'd return her.

Sakura resigned herself to sit back and watch as the two went at each other.

* * *

_A long one this time. Silly Deidara ^^_

_Thanks for all the reviews.  
_


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